N Shore Mayor succumbs to China Consulate pressure

Chinese
officials in New Zealand are exerting pressure on sponsors
and VIPs in attempts to block support for Divine Performing
Arts – an international cultural show to be held at The
Civic, April 5, 2007.

A phone call from the Chinese
Consular General's office to North Shore City mayor George
Wood is the latest in a series of events plaguing the global
tour, from the USA to Canada, Europe and Australia.

During
their 4-month tour the organisers have experienced some
severe inteference from Chinese officials trying to halt New
Tang Dynasty Television's Chinese New Year Spectacular and
Holiday Wonders shows – now Divine Performing
Arts.

Mayor George Wood was planning to attend the show
with his wife, but after the phone call last week he backed
out.

“I don't want to get involved in internal People's
Republic of China politics but I also want to maintain a
reasonable relationship with the People's Republic of China.
They said that [the show] was involved in Falun Gong, they
indicated Falun Gong, and I don't know what the true impact
of that is, but it obviously has some concerns for
them.”

Divine Performing Arts are devoted to recreating
the original and divine cultures of humankind, much of which
was destroyed during the 1960s Cultural Revolution.

The
show portrays dances and narratives that span thousands of
years of culture from China, Tibet and Mongolia, and also
incorporates scenes from China's most recent history -
namely the repression of people who practice the Falun Gong
spiritual system.

“I had indicated that I probably
would go to the show, but I'm not going to cause an
international kerfuffle by going to something that I don't
know anything about. I don't know anything about the Falun
Gong or whatever it means. I am a mayor of a city not an
international diplomat and I haven't really got the time to
analyze the thing out,” Mr Wood said.

He does not think
it is appropriate for the consulate to try and influence
what shows he will attend.

“I don't feel comfortable
having to make decisions as a result of phonecalls I receive
from a consulate office and I actually indicated that to the
consul official. But at the same time, as a mayor I don't
have time to analyse out what the merits are for and against
what is being said.”

Other incidents have occured
throughout the week, including a contracted advertisement in
a Chinese newspaper being cancelled without notice; two
shops acting as ticket-selling points withdrawing their
support - one saying from outside pressure; and promotional
posters were defaced.

Before last week's Sydney premiere
of the show the Chinese Consulate sent a letter to New South
Wales' politicians with a stern warning, urging them not to
attend the show.

In a media release on March 29
Australian Greens MLC Ian Cohen said, "I was surprised by
the reactions of both the Embassy official and Henry Tsang
MLC against this celebration, as seen on last night's
Lateline programme on the ABC. This has made me even more
determined to attend the function."

Mr Cohen added, "This
is a peaceful cultural spectacular. What type of government
officials would condemn such an event? A controversial scene
is said to depict the persecution of Falun Gong
practitioners by Chinese police. Such persecution is well
documented by human rights groups. Art in the West should be
free to depict all aspects of society without
fear.”

Michelle Ren Divine Performing Arts Lead dancer
and choreographer said the interference was common. “They
[the Chinese regime] always do these kinds of
things.”

Liu Tong the Director of the Spectacular
Planning Committee in Chicago said in an interview with The
Epoch Times last month, "The regime had taken all measures
at all costs to interfere with the NTDTV Spectacular in
Chicago this year. They wrote letters and made phone calls
to sponsors, government officials, and even the media,
attempting to stop them from supporting the show.”

A
document was recently obtained by The Epoch Times from
China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television
revealing the Chinese Communist Party's attempts to
interfere with NTDTV's Chinese New Year shows since the
inaugural performance in 2004.

The document orders that
the NTDTV New Year Show should be destroyed by "any and all
means", and if not possible, to "contain them and minimize
their impact."

--

The show is run by New Tang Dynasty
Television, a non-profit independent Chinese language
television network broadcasting 24/7 in Asia, Europe, North
America and Australia.

The New York-based Divine
Performing Arts Group has experienced full houses on the
current 2007 global tour from America, Europe, Asian to
Australia, with the show travelling to Taiwan and Korea
after New Zealand.

The shows have produced thundering
success season after season – ranked 7th best selling show
in the US by Billboard magazine in February 2006. Reports
from sell-out seasons in the US and Europe suggest, 2007 is
by far the best.

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